One Week With A Rook Piercing

.:Originally posted at my old blog on August 24th, 2012:.

So I’m thinking about doing a series about the progress of my rook piercing. Once a week for the first month, than maybe some short, monthly updates for however long…

IN THE ACT: I was not really nervous going into the experience, but watching my friend writhing in pain as her belly button was pierced moments before I was to have my own ear done,  I did get a little jittery. But the rook piercing was actually not nearly as painful as I was expecting. It’s mostly just a feeling of extreme pressure, more than a stabbing pain. Though my hands and feet did express a fair bit of anguish, I managed to keep my head and face still. My eyes didn’t even tear up, which many people seem surprised by? It honestly wasn’t that bad on contact. And hearing the piercer screw on the end of the barbell was pretty sick.

WEEK ONE: The morning after getting my rook piercing done, I found this excellent video about the cleaning process, which definitely cleared a few things up:

When I can, I try to clean my piercing four times a day. Usually two sea salt soaks a day, and then I’ll use Bactine in morning and at night. I’ve tried to use soap in the shower, but it’s still too sensitive to clean well with fingers and no mirror.

• My piercer told me to use a tissue dipped in sea salt water to do my soaks, but I’ve found that holding my ear in a full dixie cup is a lot more satisfying. My piercing actually feels clean after ten minutes.
• The pain wasn’t too bad until the fourth day… On Days 4 through 6, my ear would be throbbing when I woke up. I would take a few Ibuprofen in order to deal with the pain, and whenever I attempted to clean the damn thing, I couldn’t even touch the barbell without cringing and instinctively pulling my fingers away. On these days, Q-Tips are a friend. Soaking a Q-Tip in Bactine and gently cleaning the metal was about the only way I could even dream of touching it.
• I’ve noticed that bending the outside of my ear forward is a lot more painful than pushing it back, against my head. Brushing the top of the ear at all is still quite painful. But the lower part of the year is 100% fine.
• However, I’m on my seventh day and things certainly seem to be improving. Today was the first day I noticed crust around the base of the piercing, and had to scrape it away. But cleaning today was a lot less painful than it has been over the last week. Didn’t need any Ibuprofen. Also, I’ve actually been able to push the barbell up and down without the feeling of imminent death, so that’s a plus.